Fenerbahçe Sack José Mourinho After Champions League Exit

Fenerbahçe Sack José Mourinho After Champions League Exit

Fenerbahçe announced on Friday that they had dismissed Portuguese coach José Mourinho, just two days after the club was knocked out of the Champions League playoffs by Benfica.

“We have parted ways with Jose Mourinho, who served as head coach of our professional A team since the 2024-2025 season. We thank him for his efforts for our team and wish him success in his future career,” it said.

Mourinho, who previously managed Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Roma, joined the Istanbul side in June 2024.

During his tenure, he guided the Yellow Canaries to a second-place league finish behind rivals Galatasaray, but failed to end their long-running title drought.

The 62-year-old’s stint in Istanbul was marred by controversies. In April, he made headlines after grabbing Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk’s face and tweaking his nose following a 2-1 defeat in the Turkish Cup quarterfinals.

He was later fined for remarks made after another heated derby against Galatasaray, where he once again criticized Turkish referees and accused the fourth official of bias—comments deemed “contrary to sporting ethics.”